Aging in place can make your mother or father the happiest they can be. When you were a child wasn't home comforting? Doesn't home make you smile with memories? In my opinion, living at home for as long as you can will make life as good as it can be. I love my Aunt Tillie who is now 90 and not talking to me. She sounded different since the spate of hurricanes that wracked Florida in 2004. When she was caught without electricity and air conditioning for a week, I heard her sink into depression. She was so far away. January 2005 my friend Ellen and I traveled to West Palm Beach, FL to visit with my aunt and celebrate her 90th birthday. We had a wonderful time. Aunt Tillie went from a depressed, unsmiling person the first day, to a jubilant smiling joking feisty young 90 year old. We had a great time. I found that she was living in a beautiful assisted living center that she had transferred to from the same complexes retirement center. The people were nice, the place was clean and lovely...and Aunt Tillie hated it. She missed home. Six months later, for no apparent reason, I can't even get a response from by beloved Aunt Tillie. Did she get too happy when I was there causing a depression later? I don't know the answer. The moral to the story: If there is anyway possible to help your parents stay in their own homes, with familiar surroundings, aging can be a more pleasant experience. Make them smile the best they can. | 
